Addison Russell's Barry Larkin-esque 2040 HOF Primer Thread

[flannj]

I could bump the thread for just about every Cubs position player but Addison especially deserves to be singled out.

You beat me to it.
So now what do they do with him?

[SKO]

I could bump the thread for just about every Cubs position player but Addison especially deserves to be singled out.

You beat me to it.
So now what do they do with him?

Leave him at short for the next 15 years

[flannj]

I could bump the thread for just about every Cubs position player but Addison especially deserves to be singled out.

You beat me to it.
So now what do they do with him?

Leave him at short for the next 15 years

Works for me.

[SKO]

Bump. But some people like Jeff Samardzija and all.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Bump. But some people like Jeff Samardzija and all.

Those nefarious Strawmen'll getcha every time, SKO.

[SKO]

Bump. But some people like Jeff Samardzija and all.

Those nefarious Strawmen'll getcha every time, SKO.

I was talking about Billy Beane

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Bump. But some people like Jeff Samardzija and all.

Those nefarious Strawmen'll getcha every time, SKO.

I was talking about Billy Beane

Oh.

[SKO]

Bump. But some people like Jeff Samardzija and all.

Those nefarious Strawmen'll getcha every time, SKO.

I was talking about Billy Beane

Oh.

I personally don't know anyone who hated the trade,  thank god. Unless you count Yellon.

[ChuckD]

Bump. But some people like Jeff Samardzija and all.

Those nefarious Strawmen'll getcha every time, SKO.

I was talking about Billy Beane

Oh.

I personally don't know anyone who hated the trade,  thank god. Unless you count Yellon.

Man, I thought you were kidding. You weren't.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Bump. But some people like Jeff Samardzija and all.

Those nefarious Strawmen'll getcha every time, SKO.

I was talking about Billy Beane

Oh.

I personally don't know anyone who hated the trade,  thank god. Unless you count Yellon.

Man, I thought you were kidding. You weren't.

I'm bored and feel like laughing at that fuckwit, so is there a link?

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

DPD.

Never mind, I found it and holy shit what an awesomely wrong hot taek.

Addison Russell is a fine prospect, for sure, but that's way too small of a payoff, in my view, for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, two major-league starting pitchers.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

SQTPD

He's even wronger after having 24 hours to contemplate the trade weaving in one of his patented, condescending "history" lessons.

The Cubs have made a few minor trades with the A's over the last couple of years (you probably didn't much notice the Anthony Recker for Blake Lalli deal, did you?) but this is the first major deal between the teams since Jim Hendry acquired Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin for Eric Patterson, Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton and Josh Donaldson on July 8, 2008.

That deal, in fact, might be instructive to understanding this one. At the time -- almost exactly six years ago -- the Cubs were "going for it" and had they won the World Series with Harden, that deal might still be looked at as "worth it." What's worth keeping in mind is that the two keys to the deal as seen at the time were Patterson and Gallagher, who were both thought of as hot prospects. Murton had been a starting outfielder for the Cubs in 2007, much as Straily was in the A's rotation last year. Donaldson was just a year past being drafted and was hitting .217/.276/.349 at Peoria in the Low-A Midwest League at the time of the trade, seen as perhaps a failed catching prospect.

Now he's one of the top hitters in the American League.

...................

The issue as I see it now is this: This year's Cubs team has been playing quite well for the last month or so, in part because of good pitching from Samardzija and Hammel. Removing them from the rotation makes it markedly worse. It's not as if the Cubs were going to contend this year -- they weren't -- but perhaps they could improve enough to break through the 90-loss barrier, which could be psychologically important for young players like Castro and Anthony Rizzo. I'm sure they'd like to feel the team is going in the right direction at the big-league level, not just in the system, and yes, I believe that does matter. If the big-league Cubs go on a long losing streak again, heading toward 100 losses again, how do you build from there to a winner?

[SKO]

Or you could just read this excellent takedown of Al's take on the trade written by this fading star: http://www.desipio.com/?p=4918

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Or you could just read this excellent takedown of Al's take on the trade written by this fading star: http://www.desipio.com/?p=4918

Thank you.  That was enjoyable.

[Saul Goodman]

Or you could just read this excellent takedown of Al's take on the trade written by this fading star: http://www.desipio.com/?p=4918

Thank you.  That was enjoyable.

The next meaningful game the Cubs will play is in 2016.

Fading star.